Timuquana Country Club

On May 25, 1921, a group of 50 prominent gentlemen met at the Seminole Social Club in downtown Jacksonville to consider the organization of a new club to provide a superior golf facility. They adopted the name "Timuquana," a variation of the name of the Timucua, a Native American people who once lived along the St. Johns River. Their charter was approved on February 12, 1923 and within three months, membership had grown to 185. Timuquana Country Club's first president was John L. Roe.[2] Donald Ross, the most noted golf course architect in the United States, was engaged to design and build the course in 1923. After playing the new course, two club members suggested that additional sand traps on the fairways would enliven play, and donated them. Vic Foreman was the club's golf pro for 43 years, from 1925-1968.[2]

Several professional tournaments were played at Timuquana soon after the course was built, attracting the best golfers of the era, and exhibition matches featured Johnny Farrell, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen and Horton Smith. The course hosted the Southern Amateur championship several times, and the 1928 Florida State Amateur Tournament was won by club president Al Ulmer at Timuquana.[2]

The years during the Great Depression in the United States were difficult for the club. Membership fell to 51, and the club could not afford a manager. The club reorganized their financial affairs in 1936, cutting costs to a bare minimum, and survived.[2] Bobby Jones was stationed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville during World War II and often played golf at neighboring Timuquana.[3] Robert Trent Jones, another well-known golf course designer, worked with club members in 1948 to develop a ten-year blueprint for improving the course. Many of the suggestions were implemented during the 1950s, including adding a lake on the 5th,[3] which the tee shot must traverse. This became the course's signature hole.[4]

Sectional qualifying rounds were held at Timuquana for several USGA Senior Amateur Championships, and the US Amateur Championships in 1955, 1966, 1970, 1973 and 1976.[2] George Cobb tweaked the course design in 1957 and 1963, as did David W. Gordon in 1968, who added a lake to the 6th hole.[3] In the seventy years since Donald Ross built the course, the changes introduced by other architects to "freshen" the course had erased the characteristics that made the original design playable and enjoyable. Bobby Weed was tasked in 1995 with restoring the Ross design, but there were no blueprints or design notes. His only reference was a 1943 aerial photograph from the nearby Navy base. On three holes, Workers found groups of bushes planted as 150-yard markers in 1923 that were now 20 yards in the rough.[5] Between April and October 1996, Weed cleared brush and cut down 800 trees that had encroached on the fairways, restoring the angles that Ross intended.[3]

At the end of the 1990s, new federal rules required more efficient use of water for irrigating non-agricultural land. The southern property line of Timuquana Country Club abuts the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and they partnered with the Navy to use the base's treated wastewater effluent for golf course irrigation, which began in the fall of 1997.[2]

At approximately 10.00 am on the 19th of March, a pilot on a routine training flight from the adjacent US Navy base had engine trouble due to low oil pressure. He attempted to land back at the base, but instead tried to make an emergency landing on the 7th hole.[6] The plane landed on the fairway, instantly killing Bertha Johnson and Mary Dempsey, who had just played their tee shots and were walking to their balls.[6] The plane continued down the fairway, crashing into a clump of trees before exploding into flames. The pilot scrambled out of the wreckage, before being informed of the tragedy that had occurred.[6]

Two clay tennis courts were created in 1933 but were little used and eventually removed. In 1963, the club built four tennis courts and later added four clay courts. A large number of members participate in the club's tennis league, which is active year-round.[7]

Although a swimming pool had been proposed from the earliest days of the Club, it was not until after World War II that one was built for and enjoyment of the members and their families. In 1963, the Club added a new swimming pool with family and lap areas. In 2000, the poolside grille was given a facelift and new restroom facilities were added.[8]

Many members enjoy boating on the St. Johns River, although the club does not provide marina services. Alfred I. duPont provided the club's first dock as a gift in 1929. That structure was replaced in 1949, and in early 2002, a new floating dock system was installed for transient docking.[2]

Plans for a 3,000-square-foot (280 m²) Fitness Center were approved in March 2000, with construction beginning during the summer of 2000 and a grand opening was held July 7, 2001.[8][2]

A clubhouse was built in 1923, but by the 1950s, it became apparent that the Club had outgrown the structure. The issue was studied by nearly every club board and committee, and the Permanent Improvement Committee created a plan that involved rebuilding some sections, remodeling others and constructing new additions. It was approved by the membership and construction began in June 1958. The resulting Southern-style clubhouse, which opened December 16, 1958, was designed to resemble Tara from the movie Gone with the Wind.[9] The clubhouse includes a fine dining facility (the Skyline Room), meeting and banquet rooms and casual eating options. Social events, traditions and activities are scheduled year-round. A new men's lounge, known as the "19th Hole" and maintenance/storage buildings were constructed in 1963. The club's 75th anniversary was observed in 1998.[2]

In March 2000 members approved an 21,000-square-foot (2,000 m²) expansion to the club house, costing $2.4 million. KBJ Architects designed and managed the projects, which included:

• the men's grille and cocktail lounge was renovated
• expanded "Pow Wow Room" for casual dining
• a new elevator and handicapped accessible toilet facilities were added to improve facilities for the disabled
• a Heritage Gallery was created to showcase trophies and the club's history

Construction began during the summer of 2000, and a grand opening was held July 7, 2001.[8][2]

In September 2002, Timuquana hosted the United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship.[5]